Hi boys and girls. Well, I didn't even think I was going to this concert, but you know, sometimes things just fall into place. I didn't even have a ticket! I had just gotten the kids their dinner, and my husband, who is a doctor, walked in, and I made some comment about Natalie is going to be singing in about an hour and a half....and he said, "Are there any tickets left?" and I said, "I don't know" and he said, "Well, get the kids into bed and go see!" So I marched them right upstairs for nightey-night and I was a free woman, wheeling down the street three miles or so to the Oakdale Theater at Wallingford, CT. Oakdale is a music theater type of thing, there is a whole circuit of them in the Northeast and one actually right in my hometown of Beverly, MA (Northshore Music Theatre). It's a small venue. They have a trendy sort of food court going there, also serving beer and wine which is allowed into the seating area, in my view the only drawback to the show.
So anyway, I get to the lobby and a nice scalper approaches me and sells me a very nice ticket for an unbelievably low price; already, I'm thrilled at this unexpected windfall!
Susan McKeown (that's the correct spelling but it is pronounced "McHugh") was the opening act, she is just luminous! I enjoyed her portion of the concert immensely, but think that her set was too long ---she sang just about as long as Natalie, and that, as far as I'm concerned, shortened my time with NAM, not to my liking. Anyway, NAM's portion of the concert was amazing, with the exception of some balance/reverb problems on some of the numbers...technical problems.
I was too mesmerized to remember everything she sang.. "Wonder", of course - "Carnival", etc. etc. I was thrilled by every piece and intensely annoyed when some of the cretins sitting behind my seating section, most likely subscription ticket holders dragged there by their wives, became raucous and downright insulting WHILE SHE WAS SINGING!!! It was so rude, I was furious!
Towards the end of what was supposedly the whole concert, Natalie sat down and said, "I can't decide what to sing", so people started to yell out their favorites. I yelled, "Sing "Gulf of Araby" "(that's the name of it, Jaime), but she appeared not to hear me, sang a couple other numbers and then said that it was the end of the concert. Of course people went crazy, she had only sung about 45 minutes. She came back a few minutes later and called Susan out to sing "Golden Bells", which they did beautifully. Then, she said that they were going to sing "Gulf of Araby" and she asked if anyone had heard it on her recent PBS special. She said that she had been out of the country so wasn't sure when it had aired (I think it was ll/8). Anyway, I think that by yelling out that song title she realized that someone must have seen the PBS special by then. They then sang the song and it was riveting. I have been haunted by this piece since ll/8, and this just reinforced it. Natalie did not write it. Terry (a guy at another Natalie website) emailed me to tell me it was written by Welsh singer Katell Keinig (hope I spelled it correctly), who has already recorded it herself. Natalie announced at the concert that Katell is Susan's friend (and I suppose now is hers). The song is, from what I've been able to memorize so far (and please be kind if the actual lyric sheet eventually doesn't bear me out!) a song of loss....someone is killed in an altercation of some type (war?) and the loved one(s) of this person are saying that they would give everything they have to have this person back again...but they have to accept "what is, what is, what is...and what can never be....the Gulf of Araby" The song is amazing for its sheer power, and I am not surprised that Natalie apparently has said it is the best song she has ever heard because when I heard it on the PBS special I couldn't believe my ears!!!!! I can't wait for the recording!!!
I didn't go backstage after the concert because that type of thing is very difficult for me. I find it hard to just say 'Hi' and gawk at someone when what I really want to do is say, 'send all these people home and sit down and talk to me!!!" So that was the end of my night...I had a great time and bought a "Wonder" Tshirt for my 3 year old daughter who can sing the entire song and just knows it is all about HER!!!